Recovery on a Hot Day

Today:
Distance: 12.4 km
Time: 71' 21"
Rate: 5' 44" per km
Weather: sunny, temp 32 degrees, humidity 30%, light nth breeze
Week: 87.1 km
Jan & Year: 165.1 km

Bit a struggle to get going today after a late night at the track and then not much sleep. Reasonably happy today with last night's run in the conditions. Martin Fryer said the front runners were around a minute and a half off their expected times, so that puts my run close to 40 minute mark if the temp had been cooler.
Today, started out very slowly just a jog around the river area, nothing exiting about the run. A few tired muscles with some tender spots, so I went looking for some coldish water in the river.
Did the trick as I spent around 30 minutes just relaxing and getting some freshness back.
I can't work out why we ran all 25 laps in the one direction. Seems so obvious to turn around after 10 laps, run on that harder surface than grass and not run bare footed. And all those other people watching?
Martin, recovering from C2K 245 kms, just a few weeks ago ran around 37 minutes plus , how?